insignia
Americannoun
-
a badge or distinguishing mark of office or honor.
a military insignia.
-
a distinguishing mark or sign of anything.
an insignia of mourning.
noun
-
a badge or emblem of membership, office, or dignity
-
a distinguishing sign or mark
Usage
Insignia, originally the plural of Latin insigne, began to be used as a singular in the 18th century, and the plural insignias appeared shortly thereafter. All uses— insignia as a singular or plural and insignias as a plural—are fully standard. The singular insigne still occurs, but insignia is more common.
Etymology
Origin of insignia
1640–50; < Latin, plural of insigne mark, badge, noun use of neuter of insignis distinguished (by a mark); see in- 2, sign
Explanation
An insignia is a badge you wear to show your position or affiliation. If you're an Eagle Scout, you can wear that insignia, or, if you're a Red Sox fan, you might wear the team logo as your insignia. The word insignia includes the word "sign" — an insignia is a sign that shows your connection to some organization. Military officers wear insignias that indicate their rank. When you watch the president of the United States give a speech, you'll see on the lectern the official presidential insignia — the circular seal with the eagle inside.
Vocabulary lists containing insignia
The Things They Carried
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Fallen Angels
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Projekt 1065
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The statue is heavily damaged, with its head removed and its arms and royal insignia worn away.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
“We got turtlenecks with the Chargers insignia on them,” Rogan recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
In the virtual hearing, which lasted five minutes, she said she spoke to a man dressed in a green uniform, stitched with what looked like government insignia, seated in front of an American flag.
From Salon ● May 2, 2026
Platner pleaded ignorance—claiming that he had gotten inked with insignia while drunk and off duty in Croatia, and didn’t understand the horrific context until much later.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
She has her full uniform on, cloak and all, and her triple-arrow insignia shines silver under the fluorescent lights.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
The Enquirer had different management, did not receive Scripps-Howard features and editorials, did not even carry the chain's lighthouse insigne.
From Time Magazine Archive
Near by was William Tecumseh Sherman's ornate library table, and on it a model of the Oozlefinch bird, a frog-eyed, missile-toting creature, the insigne of Army missilemen at Fort Bliss, Texas.
From Time Magazine Archive
The materials were packed into 55-gal. drums marked with AEC's radioactivity insigne, a white cloud with four lightning bolts shooting out of it.
From Time Magazine Archive
The chain editorials that went out from New York to all Scripps-Howard papers were not even sent to the Enquirer; the chain insigne, a lighthouse, did not shine from its pages.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Anybody wearing the fraternity pin,” he added, and touched a blue dot tattooed under his left eye— an insigne, a visible password, by which certain former prison inmates could identify him.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
With the SR-71, the Air Force, taking over high-altitude reconnaissance from the CIA, insisted that markings and insignias be painted on the all-black plane—a ridiculous request.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
“These are our favorite things on the planet,” said Stewart, who was heavily involved in developing “Honor Among Thieves,” down to the spells and insignias seen on screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
The Mets wore caps with insignias representing New York first responder departments.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2022
The male dancers are clearly wearing uniforms, but Demuth chooses not to include insignias, medals, or other identifying marks.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
A young boy, perhaps ten, wanders over to ask questions about the meaning of the insignias on his uniform.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
